In the 14th round of the first division, Deportivo Cali faced Pereira at home, earning a crucial win. The home side broke the deadlock early, with Johan Martínez finding the net in the 8th minute of the first half.
Martínez executed a stunning free kick from outside the box, soaring over the defensive wall and leaving the goalkeeper with no chance to react, marking a beautiful goal.
Deportivo Cali’s forward Andrey Estupiñán missed a chance to extend the lead when he failed to convert a penalty kick in the 30th minute of the first half.
Martínez’s impressive performance crowned him the best player of the match, contributing one goal and attempting three shots on target.
Defensively, Julián Quiñones played a pivotal role, clearing four potential threats to help secure the clean sheet for Deportivo Cali.
Under the leadership of coach Alberto Gamero, Deportivo Cali lined up in a 4-5-1 formation, with Alejandro Rodríguez in goal; Fabián Viáfara, Julián Quiñones, Joaquín Varela, and Andrés Correa in defense; Andrés Colorado, Yani Quintero, Jhon Aponzá, Johan Martínez, and Juan Montoya in midfield; and Andrey Estupiñán up front.
Pereira, managed by Rafael Dudamel, set up in a 4-3-3 formation, featuring Salvador Ichazo in goal; Walmer Pacheco, Juan Quintero, José Moya, and Edwin Velasco in defense; Víctor Mejía, Juan Ríos, and Kelvin Osorio in midfield; and Yesus Cabrera, Samy Merheg, and Darwin Quintero in the attacking trio.
The match was officiated by referee Steven Camargo Abril.
In their next fixture, Deportivo Cali will travel to face Atlético Nacional, while Pereira will host Millonarios. Currently, Deportivo Cali sits in 8th place with 20 points, and Pereira follows closely in 12th with 15 points.
Substitutions for Deportivo Cali
70’ 2T – Juan Montoya for Matías Orozco
76’ 2T – Andrey Estupiñán for Fernando Mimbacas
95’ 2T – Luis Orejuela for Guzmán Corujo
Yellow cards for Deportivo Cali:
23’ 1T Jhon Aponzá (Unsporting behavior)
50’ 1T Andrés Correa (Arguing with an opponent)
47’ 2T Luis Orejuela (Holding an opponent to prevent advancement)
Substitutions for Pereira
45’ 2T – Víctor Mejía for Marco Pérez, Walmer Pacheco for Jordy Monroy, Jhon Aponzá for Luis Orejuela
65’ 2T – Samy Merheg for Gustavo Torres, Edwin Velasco for Omar Albornoz
78’ 2T – Kelvin Osorio for Adrián Estacio
Yellow cards for Pereira:
4’ 1T Víctor Mejía (Unsporting behavior)
28’ 1T Walmer Pacheco (Insulting or disapproving the referee)
28’ 1T José Moya (Insulting or disapproving the referee)
50’ 1T Yesus Cabrera (Insulting or disapproving the referee)
35’ 2T Juan Ríos (Unsporting behavior)
39’ 2T Marco Pérez (Arguing with an opponent)
39’ 2T Adrián Estacio (Unsporting behavior)
Red cards for Pereira:
47’ 2T José Moya (Red for two yellow cards)